HMS Nabthorpe
Encyclopedia
HMS Nabthorpe was a Royal Navy
Mobile Naval Operating Air Base
(MONAB) at the Royal Australian Air Force
(RAAF) base RAAF Station Schofields
at Schofields, New South Wales
. HMS Nabthorpe was also known as MONAB III and Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Schofields.
upon SS Athlone Castle on 22 December 1944 bound for Sydney
, Australia.
The main party arrived in Sydney on 25 January 1945 and were accommodated at HMS Golden Hind, Camp Warwick
, a part of the Royal Navy barracks in Sydney, whilst awaiting the allocation of an operating base and the arrival of SS Essex, which arrived at Sydney on 4 February 1945.
An advance party was sent to RAAF Schofields on 5 February 1945 to prepare the airfield for the arrival of squadron personnel and aircraft which were to arrive with the British Pacific Fleet
. Upon arrival of the main party of personnel they were accommodated under canvas tents as the station had no permanent buildings at the time.
RAAF Schofields was officially transferred to the Royal Navy and commissioned as HMS Nabthorpe, RNAS Schofields, on 18 February 1945.
When No. 899 Squadron disembarked from HMS Chaser
on 23 April 1945 the unit became a Seafire
Pool Squadron, but in July it became a Seafire Operational Training Unit, training RAAF pilots in naval flying techniques, including deck landings. Deck landing training was carried out upon the carrier HMS Indomitable
for the first course, and HMS Arbiter
for the second course. The successful pilots were to form the nucleus of the Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm
.
No. 7 Carrier Air Group formed at RNAS Schofields on 30 June 1945, from HMS Indefatigable
’s air squadrons, No.s 887 & 894 (Seafire), 820
(Avenger) and 1770 (Firefly
) squadrons.
The Commander in Chief of the British Pacific Fleet
, Admiral
Sir Bruce Fraser
, visited Schofields on 28 July 1945 as part of his tour of the support facilities in Australia.
HMS Nabthorpe, MONAB III, was paid off on 15 November 1945 and RNAS Schofields re-commissioned as HMS Nabstock (MONAB VI) on the same day.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Mobile Naval Operating Air Base
Mobile Naval Air Bases
Mobile Operational Naval Air Bases were a series of mobile units first formed in 1944 to provide logistical support to the Fleet Air Arm aircraft of the Royal Navy's British Pacific Fleet towards the end of World War II....
(MONAB) at the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(RAAF) base RAAF Station Schofields
RAAF Station Schofields
RAAF Station Schofields was an aerodrome built by the Royal Australian Air Force between 1942-1944 at Schofields, New South Wales, Australia during World War II.The aerodrome was constructed for use as a satellite aerodrome for RAAF Station Richmond...
at Schofields, New South Wales
Schofields, New South Wales
Schofields is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Schofields is located 45 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Blacktown...
. HMS Nabthorpe was also known as MONAB III and Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Schofields.
History
Assembled at RNAS Ludham on 18 October 1944, MONAB III was commissioned as an independent command bearing the ship's name HMS Nabthorpe on 4 December 1944. Stores, equipment & vehicles sailed aboard the SS Essex on 4 December 1944, and personnel sailed from LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
upon SS Athlone Castle on 22 December 1944 bound for Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia.
The main party arrived in Sydney on 25 January 1945 and were accommodated at HMS Golden Hind, Camp Warwick
Warwick Farm Racecourse
Warwick Farm Racecourse is a racecourse at Warwick Farm a south-west suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is used as a racecourse for Thoroughbred horse racing.- Races :...
, a part of the Royal Navy barracks in Sydney, whilst awaiting the allocation of an operating base and the arrival of SS Essex, which arrived at Sydney on 4 February 1945.
An advance party was sent to RAAF Schofields on 5 February 1945 to prepare the airfield for the arrival of squadron personnel and aircraft which were to arrive with the British Pacific Fleet
British Pacific Fleet
The British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...
. Upon arrival of the main party of personnel they were accommodated under canvas tents as the station had no permanent buildings at the time.
RAAF Schofields was officially transferred to the Royal Navy and commissioned as HMS Nabthorpe, RNAS Schofields, on 18 February 1945.
When No. 899 Squadron disembarked from HMS Chaser
HMS Chaser (D32)
The USS Breton was an Attacker-class escort aircraft carrier that served during World War II....
on 23 April 1945 the unit became a Seafire
Supermarine Seafire
The Supermarine Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire specially adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. The name Seafire was arrived at by collapsing the longer name Sea Spitfire.-Origins of the Seafire:...
Pool Squadron, but in July it became a Seafire Operational Training Unit, training RAAF pilots in naval flying techniques, including deck landings. Deck landing training was carried out upon the carrier HMS Indomitable
HMS Indomitable (R92)
HMS Indomitable was a modified Illustrious class aircraft carrier of the British Royal Navy. The Illustrious class came about due to the 1937 Naval Programme...
for the first course, and HMS Arbiter
HMS Arbiter (D31)
The USS St. Simon , an escort aircraft carrier originally classified as an auxiliary aircraft carrier, was laid down on 26 April 1943 at Tacoma, Washington, by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation, under a Maritime Commission contract ; reclassified as an escort aircraft carrier, CVE-51, on...
for the second course. The successful pilots were to form the nucleus of the Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm (RAN)
The Fleet Air Arm , known formally as the Australian Navy Aviation Group, is the division of the Royal Australian Navy responsible for the operation of aircraft. The FAA was founded in 1947 following the purchase of two aircraft carriers from the Royal Navy...
.
No. 7 Carrier Air Group formed at RNAS Schofields on 30 June 1945, from HMS Indefatigable
HMS Indefatigable (R10)
HMS Indefatigable was an Implacable-class aircraft carrier of the British Royal Navy. Indefatigable was present at the formal surrender of the Japanese on 2 September in Tokyo Bay. She later helped to repatriate Allied POWs held in Japan and was used as a spotting ship for later US nuclear tests in...
’s air squadrons, No.s 887 & 894 (Seafire), 820
820 Naval Air Squadron
820 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier based squadron formed in April 1933 with the transferral of the Fairey III aircraft from 405 Flight Royal Air Force to the Fleet Air Arm...
(Avenger) and 1770 (Firefly
Fairey Firefly
The Fairey Firefly was a British Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm ....
) squadrons.
The Commander in Chief of the British Pacific Fleet
British Pacific Fleet
The British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...
, Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Sir Bruce Fraser
Bruce Fraser, 1st Baron Fraser of North Cape
Admiral of the Fleet Bruce Austin Fraser, 1st Baron Fraser of North Cape GCB, KBE was a senior British admiral during World War II.-Early naval career:Fraser joined the Royal Navy as a Cadet on 15 January 1904...
, visited Schofields on 28 July 1945 as part of his tour of the support facilities in Australia.
HMS Nabthorpe, MONAB III, was paid off on 15 November 1945 and RNAS Schofields re-commissioned as HMS Nabstock (MONAB VI) on the same day.
Units based at HMS Nabthorpe
- 702 Instrument Flying Training & Checking Squadron
- Crew Pool & Refresher Flying School
- Mobile Maintenance 2
- Maintenance Servicing 3 & 4
- Seafire Pool Squadron
- Seafire Operational Training Unit
Squadrons based at HMS Nabthorpe
- 706 Squadron (3 March - 28 August 1945) (Avenger, BarracudaFairey BarracudaThe Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo- and dive bomber used during the Second World War, the first of its type used by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm to be fabricated entirely from metal. It was introduced as a replacement for the Fairey Swordfish and Fairey Albacore biplanes...
, CorsairF4U CorsairThe Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
, FireflyFairey FireflyThe Fairey Firefly was a British Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm ....
, HellcatF6F HellcatThe Grumman F6F Hellcat was a carrier-based fighter aircraft developed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat in United States Navy service. Although the F6F resembled the Wildcat, it was a completely new design powered by a 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800. Some tagged it as the "Wildcat's big...
& SeafireSupermarine SeafireThe Supermarine Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire specially adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. The name Seafire was arrived at by collapsing the longer name Sea Spitfire.-Origins of the Seafire:...
) - 801 Squadron801 Naval Air Squadron801 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm squadron of the Royal Navy formed in 1933 which fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Falklands War.- Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force:...
(9 - 11 September 1945) - 814 Squadron814 Naval Air Squadron814 Naval Air Squadron is a squadron of the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It was formed in December 1938 and has been disbanded and reformed several times. Its nickname is "the Flying Tigers", not to be confused with the American Volunteer squadron of WWII....
(21 July - 13 August 1945) (Barracuda) - 820 squadron820 Naval Air Squadron820 Naval Air Squadron is a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier based squadron formed in April 1933 with the transferral of the Fairey III aircraft from 405 Flight Royal Air Force to the Fleet Air Arm...
(1 June - 1 July 1945) (Avengers) - 837 Squadron (16 August - 1 September 1945)
- 880 Squadron (25 August - 11 September 1945) (Seafire IIIs)
- 885 Squadron (20 March - 4 April 1945) & (30 September 1945 disbanded) (Hellcat Is)
- 887 Squadron (10 - 27 February 1945), (5 June - 7 July 1945) & (30 September - 15 November 1945) (Seafire IIIs)
- 894 Squadron (10 - 27 February 1945), (5 June - 7 July 1945) & (30 September 1945) (Seafire IIIs)
- 899 Squadron (23 April - 18 September 1945)
- 1770 Squadron (10 - 27 February 1945), (5 July - 29 August 1945) (Firefly Is)
- 1772 Squadron (18 May - 7 July 1945) & (30 September 1945) (Firefly Is)
- 1790 Squadron (13 August 1945 (Firefly NF 1's)
- 1831 Squadron (16 August - 1 September 1945)
- 1834 Squadron (5 - 26 June 1945) (Corsairs)
- 1836 Squadron (5 - 26 June 1945) (Corsairs)
- 1840 Squadron (23 February - 9 May 1945) (Hellcats)
- 1843 Squadron (1 - 20 May 1945) (Corsair IVs)
- 1845 Squadron (26 February - 11 May 1945) (Corsair IVs)
- 1851 Squadron (21 July - 13 August 1945) (Corsair)
Aircraft carriers squadrons disembarked from/embarked to
- HMS ArbiterHMS Arbiter (D31)The USS St. Simon , an escort aircraft carrier originally classified as an auxiliary aircraft carrier, was laid down on 26 April 1943 at Tacoma, Washington, by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation, under a Maritime Commission contract ; reclassified as an escort aircraft carrier, CVE-51, on...
- HMS ChaserHMS Chaser (D32)The USS Breton was an Attacker-class escort aircraft carrier that served during World War II....
- HMS GloryHMS Glory (R62)HMS Glory was a Colossus-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy laid down on 8 November 1942 by Stephens at Govan. She was launched on 27 November 1943 by Lady Cynthia Brookes, wife of the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland...
- HMS IndefatigableHMS Indefatigable (R10)HMS Indefatigable was an Implacable-class aircraft carrier of the British Royal Navy. Indefatigable was present at the formal surrender of the Japanese on 2 September in Tokyo Bay. She later helped to repatriate Allied POWs held in Japan and was used as a spotting ship for later US nuclear tests in...
- HMS Indomitable
- HMS ImplacableHMS Implacable (R86)HMS Implacable was an Implacable-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy.- History :She was laid down at Fairfields Shipyard on Clydeside three months after her sister-ship Indefatigable and was clearly destined for the British Pacific Fleet once worked up...
- HMS RulerHMS Ruler (D72)HMS Ruler was an escort aircraft carrier of the British Royal Navy during World War II. Built in the United States as St. Joseph for lend-lease to the UK, it was a Bogue-class carrier....
- HMS SlingerHMS Slinger (D26)The USS Chatham was built at the Seattle-Tacoma S/Y, Hull #27, Seattle WA and transferred to the United Kingdom 11 August 1943 under lend-lease and renamed HMS Slinger . Outfitted by the British as a transport carrier, the ship was mined on 5 February 1944 but returned to service, 17 October...
- HMS SpeakerHMS Speaker (D90)HMS Speaker , a Bogue-class escort aircraft carrier, based on a "C3" hull, was originally the USS Delgada which was transferred to the United Kingdom under the Lend-Lease program.-Design and description:...
- HMS VenerableHMS Venerable (R63)HMS Venerable was a Colossus-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy. She served for only the last few months of World War II, and in 1948 she was sold to the Netherlands and renamed HNLMS Karel Doorman and taking part in the military clash in 1962 in Western New Guinea...
- HMS VictoriousHMS Victorious (R38)HMS Victorious was the second Illustrious-class aircraft carrier ordered under the 1936 Naval Programme. She was laid down at the Vickers-Armstrong shipyard at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in 1937 and launched two years later in 1939...
- HMS VindexHMS Vindex (D15)HMS Vindex was a of the Royal Navy that saw service during the Second World War. She was built at Swan Hunter shipyards in Newcastle upon Tyne...